


The Moon Opens For The Sun

by violinbythefire



Series: Ray Of Sunshine [4]
Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Anxiety, First Dates, Fluff, Jealousy, Language of Flowers, M/M, Misunderstandings, Music, Mutual Pining, Young Love, reference to recreational drug use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-30 15:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12112185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violinbythefire/pseuds/violinbythefire
Summary: Pablo takes Lucien out on their first date to a music show in the park. They're both enamored with each other and yet neither one can admit it just yet. Other shenanigans may include run ins with an ex of Pablo's, a disgruntled customer of Lucien's, and a very friendly dog that Lucien won't admit he's allergic to.Author's Note: While this story is part of the Ray of Sunshine series, it can be read as a standalone fic. It may be helpful to read the Downbeat of Young Love prior to reading this.





	1. Ad Libitum

Once he finished his coffee, Lucien left the shop around five o’clock and made his way down the sidewalk back to the cul-de-sac. All the while, his heart was fluttering in his chest.

The first time he saw Pablo was during his one of his infrequent visits to the Coffee Spoon. Lucien didn’t particularly believe in the notion of ‘love at first sight’. And that was most certainly not what he was calling this pull between himself and Pablo. However, he couldn’t deny the sudden feeling that burst inside him when he first saw Mat’s new helper. There was something about that long green hair, that confidant body rocking a crop top, and the outgoing grin that made Lucien feel as though he would never find another person attractive ever again. Pablo was so cheerful and talkative. Lucien was struggling to keep his self-consciousness from showing. Therefore, it was very simple to just keep his mouth closed, pay for his coffee and leave. 

It would have been easy to never go to the coffee shop ever again. Lucien never took the easy route. He went to the coffee shop frequently, thinking that each time he would speak to him. Pablo’s presence was so encompassing. Lucien felt as though he was the moon in front of the sun. He never said anything, but he always stayed if only to be near Pablo. He kept hoping that he would have enough courage to speak to him. Or at the very least he would have the courage to go to one of his shows. 

Damien figured out that something was going on with his son relatively soon. One didn’t start spontaneously going to a coffee shop four times a week unless there was something or someone there that made it worth going. It didn’t take much prodding for Lucien to admit that he had a crush on Pablo. Other fathers would have eagerly pointed out the age difference. There was a three, honestly more like a two, year age difference between the two young men. Damien merely shared his support in Lucien exploring relationships while being careful for his physical and mental well being. Lucien was typically comfortable discussing anything with his father, but even he began to squirm when Damien talked about the biological and psychological turmoil that came with being sexually active. At least Lucien knew who he could turn to if it would even get to that phase in this nonexistent relationship. 

In addition to not having to defend the age difference, Lucien knew that he was lucky to be able to tell his father that he had a crush on a boy. Most teenagers would never be able to be so open about exploring their sexuality. Damien had sat him down a long time ago and told him that as long as he was happy and healthy, he could be whatever he wanted and be with whoever he wanted. Lucien knew how fortunate he was. He only hoped that he could make his father as proud of him as he was of his father. 

Damien wasn’t home when Lucien arrived. He made his way to the second floor of the Victorian style manor and unlocked his bedroom door. The moment that he walked in, he felt that something was off. He looked around the room. Nothing looked out of place during that quick glance. Something felt different when he looked at his vanity, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Lucien figured it was nerves and he shrugged his shoulders before pulling out his phone. He quickly searched for the band that Pablo was taking him to see and started streaming their music. 

It was a decent mixture of alternative punk and rap sung by a group consisting of both men and women. It was catchy music and Lucien hummed along to the simple rhythm as he started getting ready for the night. 

What did people wear on first dates? Lucien had no idea. Not only was this his first date with Pablo (if this even was a date), it was his first date at all. A sudden thought hit Lucien.

What if this wasn’t a date? What if Pablo was just hanging out with him? 

Worse, what if he got there and Pablo realized the mistake he made of inviting him along?

Was it too late to cancel? 

No.

Lucien mentally hit himself in the head. If his father was brave enough to live his life the way he wanted to day after day, no matter how hard it was, Lucien could go on a date/not date with Pablo. 

***

Pablo had pulled up to Lucien’s place, his eyes on the black house that stood out amongst the range of pastel and beige colored homes. Pablo had debated for the longest time if he should bring anything. He considered this a date. People usually brought things to dates. After Mat let him leave his shift early, Pablo had stopped by a florist and made his own bouquet. He had no idea what flowers went together and he more or less picked out what he thought went together as far as color and size. 

The bouquet consisted of many small viscaras surrounding larger flowers of calla lilies, jonquils and Christmas roses. Pablo tried to pick the flowers that didn’t seem typical or expected. He wanted to surprise Lucien. 

He parked his van in front of the house and took a deep breath. He was going to do this. He was taking Lucien out on a date and therefore he should probably get out of the car and greet him at the door. 

Just get out of the van and walk to the door.

Easy enough.

Just do it.

Pablo felt as though he was jumping off a diving board and into the pool. After grabbing the bouquet, he threw the van door open and got out before making his way to the house’s front door at lightning speed. He knocked on the door all the while feeling as though he was losing his breath. 

This wasn’t the first time Pablo had done something like this. He had been on dates before. Once he started working more in the music scene, he found that he was crossing paths with people that were far more into the physical aspect of it. It suited Pablo’s needs for a while. Commitment was not on the forefront of Pablo’s mind. He didn’t exactly have the most positive role models as far as healthy couples. Pablo’s father left his mother when he was young. His mother never had a boyfriend that she trusted long enough to bring home to meet Pablo. When he got older, his friends got boyfriends/girlfriends that never lasted more than a month. It wasn’t until he saw Mat and Ray that he felt a sudden need to have that in his life.

Mat said to make sure that he knew the difference between just wanting someone and wanting the actual person. All Pablo knew was that he felt something was missing in his life. Maybe that something just happened to be Lucien shaped. 

A minute after Pablo knocked, the door opened and there stood Lucien. He was wearing deep emerald green snakeskin jeans and black shirt with tastefully cut tears throughout the fabric. His eyes were done expertly from the black eyeliner to the sea green eyeshadow. He had changed the piercings from earlier. Green and black metal was found throughout his face, accenting his fair complexion. “Hey…” Pablo said, realizing he should probably say something, “You…you look great.” It was the understatement of the century. Lucien looked stunning.

“Thanks,” Lucien responded, his voice as calm and collected as it always was. He stared at Pablo and then his eyes drifted to Pablo’s hand, “…Is that for me?” He asked.

Pablo was confused before he realized that he still had the bouquet in his hands. “Oh! Yes! Yes, it’s for you. I picked out the flowers myself. I thought you would…I just wanted to bring something.” He said as he handed the bouquet to Lucien.

“Thank you…” For the first time, Pablo saw something other than boredom in Lucien’s eyes. Lucien looked at the bouquet with interest, taking in the different flowers before him. A small smile formed on Lucien’s face before looking back at Pablo, “Jonquils…So…this is a date?” 

“Ahhhhhh, yes. If that’s what you want it to be…I hope it is,” Pablo said, moving to rub the back of his neck with his hand. 

Lucien looked pleased and he told him, “I have to put these in water.” He took a step back and invited Pablo in. Pablo stepped into the house, feeling as though he walked into a different time. He looked around at the furniture and decorations with interest. Lucien closed the door behind them and grabbed the first empty vase he found. Pablo stood in the hallway, not sure if he should follow Lucien as he left the room. He shoved his hands in his pockets and wondered if it would be impolite to lean against the wall. 

“Your place is amazing. Growing up in this must have been so cool,” Pablo said, his interest piqued. It was a small town. Even though he didn’t live directly in the tight-knit cul-de-sac, no one could really miss the man that committed to the Victorian lifestyle. 

There was the sound of water running from down the hallway. Lucien answered him, “It was. I was always disappointed when I would go over to friends’ houses. It always seemed like they had no personality.”

“What about when friends came over to your place?” Pablo asked, continuing the conversation. 

There was a pause in the conversation before Lucien remarked, casually, “I didn’t have friends over a lot.” The water was turned off and it wasn’t long before Lucien returned down the hallway with the bouquet in the vase. He set the vase down on one of the hallway tables and his gaze lingered on the flowers for another moment.

“I’m glad you like them,” Pablo blushed, pushing his second attempt at a conversation. 

“I do. No one has given me flowers before,” Lucien explained, moving his eyes from the flowers and back to Pablo.

“Really?” Pablo questioned in disbelief. Lucien was staring at him with confusion in his eyes and Pablo followed up with why he had questioned that, “What did your other dates bring you?”

Lucien looked uncomfortable. He turned from Pablo and his hand moved to play with one of the piercings in his ear. 

“I…” Pablo started, wondering what he could have said that would make Lucien appear so apprehensive. 

“I can’t remember every single thing people bring me,” Lucien rushed out quickly, putting his hand down from his piercing and into his jeans pocket. “I mean, do you?” 

Before Pablo could even respond, Lucien mumbled, his voice softer, “Nevermind…let’s go.” He walked passed Pablo, motioning him to follow. 

Pablo raised an eyebrow, “Uh…yeah, let’s go. We’ll probably get a spot closer to the stage if we leave now.” 

The two young men stepped out of the house. Pablo stayed by Lucien’s side as he locked the door. The awkward silence passed between the two only for a moment. Surprisingly, it was Lucien who was broke the ice. “I’m excited about tonight.”

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, “I am too…I’m excited that I’m getting to know you…” Pablo told Lucien.

How could he not be enchanted by Lucien? He was like a specter, so mysterious and otherworldly in his looks. He looked forward to seeing him during his shift. It meant that maybe he could find out another clue about Lucien. 

This was going to be a fun night.


	2. Taking It From The Top

Lucien got into the passenger side of Pablo’s van. As he put his seatbelt on, he glanced over his shoulder to see a plethora of electric music equipment. When Pablo got in, Lucien asked him, “How’s Vacant Veil going?”

“Pretty good,” Pablo responded with a grin on his face, “Thank you for asking. It’s taking off. I’m booked for a few gigs this weekend. One of them is at this open house party. You should come.”

The idea of showing up at a stranger’s place, open house or not, was repulsive. But if it meant that he could see Pablo and support him, Lucien could risk standing around people he didn’t know at a party he didn’t want to attend. “Maybe,” He answered. His anxiety made he reach into his pocket for his phone so he could distract himself. Pablo was so confident and social. He could probably go to a party uninvited and make friends with every single person he met. 

Pablo started the van without responding to Lucien and made his way out of the cul-de-sac.

The silence between them did not last long. Lucien could only mindlessly go through the apps on his phone for so long. “This band we’re seeing…Livewire…I checked them out. They sound pretty good,” Lucien said, moving his gaze from the phone over to Pablo.

Once again, Pablo lit up and told Lucien, “I thought you would like them. Livewire is a local band. I ran into the lead singer at the vinyl place and that’s how I found out about them. They’re getting popular but they like to do shows at the park to stay close to their roots,” He paused, before grinning, “I’m going to do that when I make it big. What about you? Are you going to stay here in Maple Bay after you’re done with high school?”

Lucien thought about how he should respond to that question, “I know I’m going to college after high school…Dad is willing to compromise on everything except that…I can major in whatever I want, but I have to go through with it…I want to be close to my father so I’ll at least stay in the state.” 

“What would you major in?” Pablo asked, averting his eyes from the road for a second to look over at Lucien.

That was an excellent question. A wonderful question. Lucien just wished he knew the answer himself. “I want to just take a variety of classes my first semester and see if there’s anything that sticks out to me.” As far as Lucien knew, Wandering Through Life Aimlessly and Still Make Money was not a major. Lucien figured that he was open for suggestions, so he asked Pablo, “What major do you think I should be in?”

“To be honest, I think you could make a lot of money in cosmetology,” Pablo told him. Lucien had been expecting a lot of suggestions and that was not one of them. Pablo continued, “I mean…You stay true to your personal style while keeping up with trends. You do your make up better than anyone I’ve seen. You’re creative so you could probably be a great make-up artist for the stage.” 

By the time Pablo was done speaking, they had reached the side of the park with the amphitheater. Pablo parked his van in the crowded parking area. At this point, night had fallen on Maple Bay. However, with the lights from the amphitheater and the streetlamps, it was easy to see the decent size crowd of young men and women making their way through the park. 

Lucien took this moment not to directly respond to Pablo. All his brain could think about at the time was that Pablo liked the way he looked. It made his cheeks feel warm and his insides feel fuzzy. He got out of the van along with Pablo. Part of him wanted to take Pablo up on what he said. “You’ve got that gig this weekend…Maybe I could do your make up…” Lucien started, quickly finishing it up with, “If I decide to go…” 

“Wow! You’d do that for me?” Pablo questioned, his eyes widening with a joy that made Lucien’s heart skip a beat. “That would be great.” The two stood there for a moment, letting the comfortable silence set between the two. Lucien could feel the corners of his mouth sneak up into a smile. 

Before Lucien knew what he was doing, Pablo had taken Lucien’s hand in his once they were close. His fingers entwined with his. Lucien stared at the linked extremities and he could feel his blush moving through his entire face. “Is this okay?” Pablo asked hesitantly. He started to take his hand away, alarming Lucien.

“Yes…yes, it’s more than okay,” Lucien admitted as he squeezed Pablo’s hand in an effort to reassure him. If he had to pick one thing that he admired about the man it was his confidence. He wanted to go out with Lucien, he wanted to give him flowers (Lucien’s recognition of what the flowers meant had him swooning for a solid five minutes following their presentation), and he wanted to hold Lucien’s hand. He did what he wanted and Lucien highly doubted that he worried about what Lucien would think. 

If it was up to Lucien, they would no doubt be participating in the song and dance that was Lucien visiting the coffee shop for another month before Lucien worked up the nerve to ask Pablo out himself. There was no doubt in Lucien’s mind that Pablo knew that he had Lucien’s affections. What Lucien did not know was if Pablo knew how serious they were. He probably asked people out all the time. For some reason, he thought that Lucien was going out with multiple people as well. That had to be the only explanation for when he asked Lucien what ‘other things’ his dates brought to him. There was no way that Lucien was going to admit that Pablo was the first and only person to bring him anything.

Maybe this wasn’t serious to Pablo. Lucien wanted it to be serious. He liked Pablo a lot and Lucien did not see himself as the sharing type.

But he was getting ahead of himself. This was the first date. He didn’t want to admit that he was a romantic, much less a hopeless one. 

***

Pablo couldn’t stop smiling as he walked hand in hand with Lucien from the parking lot and into the park. With his upbeat mood, it was easy to greet every person he came across as well. Most were friends of his and others were acquaintances he had seen at some show or another. 

“Do you know all these people?” Lucien asked Pablo finished waving to the twentieth person that they passed. 

“Yeah. The music scene in Maple Bay isn’t too big, so it’s easy to know everyone at least by sight,” Pablo said, using his free hand to wave again to one of the girls he worked with at the concert hall.

“Cool,” was Lucien’s one word response. They were close enough to the amphitheater at this point that they could hear the sound of the band setting up on stage. Some people were setting up on picnic blankets far from the stage while others were standing close.

“Hey, Pablo!”

Pablo recognized the voice instantly and it appeared Lucien did as well. The Livewire lead singer’s stage name was Sapphire Nightingale, but everyone in Maple Bay called him by his legal name, Tyrell. By his side stood…

“Luna!” Pablo instantly let go of Lucien’s hand so he could lean down and wrap his arms around the neck of the gorgeous black Belgian Sheepdog. Luna was more or less the mascot for Livewire. She was dangerously close to having more Instagram fans than the band itself.

“They always go for the dog,” Tyrell chuckled, shaking his head. He turned to look at Lucien and asked, playfully, “Is he always this rude?”

“Not to me…Must be you,” Lucien replied without missing a beat in that dry voice of his.

“Oh I like you,” Tyrell grinned, laughing now. 

After Pablo finished cooing over the dog, he stood up and pulled Tyrell in for the five high/hug that all young men did with each other. “How have you been?”

“Great, great. I’m glad I ran into you. I got a favor to ask,” Tyrell said.

“Sure, what’s up?” Pablo questioned, not noticing Lucien’s rising discomfort. He didn’t see Lucien inching away as Luna moved forward, trying to sniff at Lucien’s pants. 

“Luna usually stays on the bus, but the A/C’s on the fritz. One of our roadies is working on it. Can you keep an eye on her for the first half of the show?” Tyrell asked. 

“Man, of course! No problem. She can hang with Lucien and I,” Pablo grinned, almost jumping out of his skin with excitement. 

“Ummm,” Tyrell looked over Pablo’s shoulder and started to frown, “Are you sure? It doesn’t look like your friend likes dogs.” He pulled back at Luna’s leash, “Leave the kid alone, Luna. He doesn’t want to play.” 

Pablo turned around to see that Lucien was staring at Luna with more expression in his face than what Pablo had seen all day. His eyes were wide with anxiety and his jaw was tight with tension. Lucien looked at Pablo and said, quickly, “She can stay with us…”

“Are you sure?” Tyrell raised an eyebrow, “I mean…I can find someone else.”

“Yeah, no it’s fine,” Lucien assured him, glancing over at Pablo. “I like dogs…” He didn’t sound like he was lying, but it didn’t explain the more standoffish than usual attitude he had regarding the dog. 

“Thanks. I owe you one,” Tyrell said as he handed Pablo Luna’s leash. He bent down and rubbed Luna’s head, “Can you be good girl for Pablo and his boyfriend, okay?”

“Oh, he’s not…” Pablo started, glancing over at Lucien who had started coughing into his arm. He didn’t look like he heard was Tyrell said. Either way, he was neither agreeing or disagreeing with Pablo’s remark. 

“That reminds me,” Tyrell began as he stood up. He lowered his voice as he leaned in to talk to Pablo, “Angel’s here. I saw him with some girl about ten minutes ago. Just giving you the heads up.”

If Pablo had anything close to a relationship, it was the month long semi-exclusive thing that he had with Angel Nakani. It had been during the spring and even though it was not a long venture, the break up was one of the most stressful parts of Pablo’s life. If he could dispense any life advice to Past Pablo, it would be to not get involved with the devil, no matter how sweet he looked. 

“Thanks for letting me know,” Pablo expressed his gratitude, his face falling for the first time all night. Angel was a wild card. Either he would see Pablo and Lucien and leave them alone or he would cause massive amounts of trouble. There was no in between. He looked over at Lucien again. He had stopped coughing and was now hesitantly petting Luna’s head.

“Oh it’s soft…” Lucien remarked in wonder. His voice was so low that there was no way he could have intended anyone to hear.

“See you guys in thirty minutes. Enjoy the show,” Tyrell stated, departing from Luna, Pablo, and Lucien. 

Once Lucien finished coughing, he looked over at Pablo, “Sorry about that…I just…” He bit his lower lip, appearing to be struggling with the words. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Thanks for letting Luna tag along with us for a while. She’s a great dog,” Pablo declared to Lucien. He chuckled when he saw Luna’s tail begin to wag. “Let’s go find a spot…” He stated, looking around the increasingly populated park. He offered his free hand to Lucien and was pleased when Lucien took it once more.

The two walked together and Pablo once stopped to talk to almost every person they passed even if only to wave at them. The only difference was that Pablo was now looking around for a Gucci leather jacket, Angel’s trademark. Luna trotted forward obediently, obliging any stranger that wanted to come and run their fingers through her thick fur.

“Is this okay?” Pablo asked as he found a spot by stage that was underneath a large willow tree. Lucien only nodded as he let go of Pablo’s hand.

His voice was unusually tight, “I’ll be right back,” He told Pablo, not meeting his gaze. He left Pablo’s side without waiting for a response, disappearing into the crowd of people. 

Did he do something wrong? Pablo leaned against the tree and watched as Luna started to spin around in preparation to lie down. The show was going to begin any minute. As Luna lied down in a curled position, she let out a sigh.

“Me too, girl,” Pablo smiled, looking back to the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm excited to bring one of my favorite OCs into this. Angel is...interesting. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far.


	3. Breakdown

Lucien all but bolted from Pablo’s side the moment that he saw the public bathroom. The bathroom meant that there were paper towels. That meant that he could finally do something about the mucus about to clog his nose and throat. What he was going to do about his increasingly tight esophagus or the itchiness, Lucien was not quite so sure. 

No one was currently occupying the bathroom at the time. Lucien pulled out several paper towels from a dispenser and took care of at least one problem. ‘It’s only for a half an hour,’ Lucien told himself. He could deal with feeling like he was going to suffocate and die for that long. No problem. However, he would have to see if he could even hide it for that long. He had already more or less lied to Pablo earlier. There was no doubt in his mind that Pablo would be less than impressed to find that his date was getting sicker as the night went on. Even if he explained to Pablo what had happened, Lucien could only imagine what he would say. After all, what sort of spineless person he would have to be to risk his health in order to keep the peace with a date? No doubt if the roles were switched, Pablo would have no problems speaking up for his needs. 

Lucien shoved several paper towels into his pocket, saving them just in case. He glanced at the mirror in the bathroom as he started to make his way out. He did not look the greatest in the fluorescent lighting. He could see that his eyes were red and he was paler than usual. It was dark outside so it was going to be easy to hide how he looked. 

While he was still at the sink in the bathroom, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was a text from his father.

‘I assume the bouquet in the hallway was a token from your suitor?’

Lucien smiled fondly as he remembered the flowers he set up in a vase. ‘They are. Nice, aren’t they?’

‘I’m rather impressed with what the young man picked. The viscarias are a lovely touch. Do you recall their meaning?’

Lucien was well versed in the language of flowers thanks to his father. But compared to that man, Lucien barely knew anything. He thought for a moment before he texted him back, ‘I don’t. But I imagine they go along with the young courtship theme of the flowers.’ 

‘They do,’ Damien answered before elaborating in the second text, ‘It’s a request for a dance.’ Lucien’s cheeks blushed pleasantly before he thought about the man that they were talking about. And the fact that Pablo was probably still waiting for him.

‘Got to go, Dad. Thanks for the flower lesson.’

‘You’re welcome. Have fun. Stay safe.’

Lucien left the bathroom and suddenly stopped outside of the door. He had left Pablo’s side so quickly that he didn’t remember where the spot they picked was. It was under a tree, but this was a park .There were plenty of trees. The crowd of people moving in and out of the area was hindering Lucien’s line of sight as well. Couldn’t something go right? 

It took an embarrassingly long time to find Pablo. Livewire was almost a minute into their first song before Lucien found the familiar head of long green hair. Pablo was singing along to the lyrics and jumping up and down to the beat of the music. Lucien couldn’t help but watch him for a minute. He could feel a smile form on his own face. What was it like to be that carefree?

Lucien felt his own body move to the rhythm of the music. It’s not a Livewire song that he is familiar with, but he could easily anticipate the melody. He walked over to Pablo, making sure not to get to close to Luna. Despite that, he still felt his throat tightened. 

“Hey!” Pablo greeted when he saw Lucien. He grinned at him and Lucien once more felt his stomach flip at the sight. When Lucien got close enough, Pablo grabbed his hands and pulled him in for a dance. Lucien was not completely useless when it came to music. The two danced with each other, making almost mirror images of each other. 

Their eyes locked and Lucien felt as though he was given a gift. A wave of sureness hit Lucien as he remembered the meaning of the viscarias. It had to be some newfound gift of self efficacy. Because Lucien didn’t like to think that he was so affected by his allergy that he was becoming delusional. Pouring all amount of confidence he had into the gesture, Lucien placed his hands above Pablo’s hips. There was a moment of stillness. Lucien’s momentary lapse in his typical teenage angst was short lived. Was he the one being too fast in this situation? 

And to top it all off…

He was touching Pablo! 

The music’s tempo sped up as though it was trying to keep up with Lucien’s increasing heart rate. But it was all for nothing. Pablo was smiling at him and he pulled him close, placing his own hands over Lucien’s hips.

Pablo was touching him!

Livewire easily transitioned into the next song, an impossibly louder and quicker beat took the first song’s place. The two young men’s bodies slowly pressed together, more at Pablo’s doing than Lucien’s. 

***

Pablo had more dance partners in his life than he could remember. All the shows he worked at, all the clubs he snuck into, and all the parties he attended meant that he knew his way around both music and the human body. With Lucien though, he felt as though he had never danced before in his life. He felt slow and clumsy. For some reason it appeared that Lucien did not noticed. He was moving in sync with Pablo’s body as though it were raw instinct. 

It was not as though Pablo didn’t realize why he felt off his game. Dancing to this music usually led to Pablo and his partner grinding against each other. Then, caught in the high of the music and his own adrenaline, they would more often than not go to the nearest bathroom or backstage to engage in some sort of unadulterated behavior. He would never quite forget the show where Mat found him and the roadie whose name he didn’t quite remember but whose tongue ring he did. 

To put it in the simplest terms, he didn’t want to do that with Lucien. The whole purpose of him going on this date was to establish a meaningful relationship. He didn’t like being with people for two to six weeks in the shallowest of ways. From Pablo’s understanding, not a lot of relationships that started like that lasted or ended well.

He just saw how happy Ray made Mat. Ray got him to perform again. If that wasn’t the power of true love manifesting before his own mortal eyes, Pablo had no idea what it was. 

Mat’s words from earlier in the day went through his mind ‘You have to want to be with someone because you want to be with them. Not because you want a relationship.’

Couldn’t Pablo have both? What was wrong with both? 

Their dance ended when Livewire began to play one of their less intense musical numbers. Luna had gotten up and nudged against Lucien’s leg. Pablo couldn’t help but notice the tension return to Lucien just as quickly as it did before. 

“Not a dog person?” Pablo asked as he bent down to run his hand over Luna’s head. Poor girl. Someone had to give her some attention.

“Uh…it’s not that,” Lucien stated, his eyes avoiding Pablo’s. He leaned over as well and started to scratch under Luna’s chin. Luna began to wag her tail happily with the petting she was getting. 

The situation was weird, but Pablo didn’t push it. Maybe he was a cat person. Lucien looked like a cat person. He would have some sort of intelligent and demon possessed cat like a Siamese. They’d sit together in his library (because there was no way that the Victorian Manor that Lucien called home would not have a library). 

“Ummmm….Pablo, can I tell you something and you promise me not be too weird about it?” Lucien asked as he straightened up. He clasped his hands together. The lack of light must have been playing tricks on Pablo’s eyes because he thought that Lucien was scratching his hands and his wrists. Also, Pablo wasn’t sure where Lucien’s raspy voice came from, but it was pretty sexy. 

“Of course, my man. What’s up?” Pablo asked, hoping that whatever it was, Lucien was not calling the date off.

“Hey Pablo!” emanated from a nearby crowd before Lucien could say a word. Pablo could see Lucien’s face twist with annoyance and Pablo found it almost as attractive as the voice. But he could not linger on that thought for long. It was because the owner of that voice was not another friend or acquaintance of Pablo’s.

Out of the shadows of the park, a young man with dirty blonde hair and bright, abrasive eyes approached the two. He was smaller than both Lucien and Pablo, both in height and build. He wore a designer leather jacket that more than likely had a higher value than Pablo’s van. 

“Hello Angel,” Pablo greeted, wondering if he should fake politeness with his ex for Lucien’s sake or risk losing Lucien’s respect in order to get as far away from Angel as possible. At this point, Luna was looking up at the newcomer warily.

Angel glanced over at Lucien and ran his eyes up and down. Pablo felt a sudden need to protect Lucien. But Lucien had already thrown a sharp glare at Angel. It was a warning that Lucien could hold his own if he needed to.

“Fiesty, I like it,” Angel mused, seemingly not bothered by the teenager’s death stare. 

Angel’s eyes drifted from Lucien to Luna and let out a happy noise before squatting down and rubbing Luna’s back. Pablo’s lips threatened to twitch into a smile at the reminder of what a decent person Angel could be if he wanted to. He looked over at Lucien and even in the darkness, he could see Lucien mouth the words ‘Who is he?’

‘Ex’, Pablo mouthed back, knowing that he couldn’t even begin to explain the complexity of the situation with that word.

Lucien nodded slowly before shifting in his stance. He pulled out his phone and busied himself whatever could distract him from the growing awkwardness of this situation. At least, that would be Pablo’s guess.

Angel finally stood back up and looked at Pablo, “How’s it been going with Vacant Veil?”

“It’s alright…How’s your music going?” Pablo asked, struggling to keep the pleasantries between them. 

“Great. I’m headed out to New York to do a studio recording. It’s top notch stuff. You should come with me,” Angel suggested with a charming smile on his face, “I could use your music in the backdrop.” 

“You and I both know that you would die before you mixed your acoustic guitar with electronic music,” Pablo pointed out, not falling for Angel’s attempt at flattery, “What do you want?”

“Rude as always,” Angel commented, a frown marring his face, “I’m trying to be friendly in front of your...” He let himself trail off as he gave Lucien another once over. 

“Do you have a problem?” Lucien accused, looking up from his phone. He shoved it into his pocket and took a step toward Angel, closing the space in between them. With the new raspy tone his voice took on, he almost sounded intimidating. 

Before Pablo could try to prevent any further hostility between the two, Angel responded back to Lucien smugly, “I have no problem with any of Pablo’s rebound boys. You’re keeping him warm for me.”

Pablo might have been offended by that comment if he had time to register it. The moment that Angel stopped speaking was the moment that Pablo saw Lucien raise a closed fist and punch his ex-boyfriend in the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait. I haven't been too healthy feeling for the last week. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please comment with your thoughts. I hope you are enjoying my work.


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